The overall goal of the UIC BIRCWH program, in alignment with the goals of the ORWH strategic plan, is to train a cadre of researchers to become independent investigators who will use novel, interdisciplinary approaches to advance women's health and sex/gender-based science. In four years, we have engaged 10 scholars in our program, all of whom remain in women's health or sex/gender-based research. Our scholars have been awarded 17 NIH grants and 26 other grants as PI or Co-I, published over 70 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and given more than 70 oral and poster presentations at national or international scientific conferences. We build on the strengths of our current program, particularly the integration of the BIRCWH with UIC's institutional and programmatic excellence in women's health research, UIC's proven institutional dedication to and success in mentoring new investigators, especially women, and our focus on and alignment with ORWH's 2020 Strategic Plan. Our short-term objectives are: (1) to enhance and refine three ongoing successful programmatic elements (the team mentoring approach, individualized scholar career development plans, and the combined core and tailored curriculum); (2) To develop and implement three new program elements to enhance the existing BIRCWH program and address the ORWH strategic plan goals (Mentoring the Mentor, the Knowledge Dissemination Program, and the Social Media Initiative) to enhance the existing BIRCWH program and address the ORWH strategic plan goals; (3) to recruit and train at least 8 new BIRCWH scholars, particularly women and minorities, with interests in interdisciplinary women's health research; and (4) to conduct a systematic evaluation using process and outcome measures to monitor for continuous quality improvement and to demonstrate the impact of the BIRCWH program. Our long-term objectives are: (1) to advance women's health and sex/gender-based science at UIC by fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and through the use of innovative research methodologies; (2) to train and mentor a diverse group of new investigators to achieve research independence and successful careers in women's health or sex/gender- based research; and, (3) to raise awareness across disciplines of the importance of examining sex and gender based differences throughout the lifespan. PHS 398/2590 (Rev. 06/09) Page Continuation Format Page